Severe Diarrhea After Chemo: Seeking Relief

You should request they do a C-Diff test, I was in the same boat except I was going every half an hour, and I wasn’t even eating. I ended up getting C-diff, landed in the hospital for four days was given boat loads of antibiotics. It was horrible. Good luck to you. 

Don’t laugh but when I went though chemo I drank beet juice everyday. It helped a lot on my stomach and was great for the liver! Also if you eat fried food STOP! The fats in fried food is very bad during chemo as it’s all severely processed. Look it up. Praying you feel better Tony

I actually just finished two full weeks on having diarrhea every morning. I took Imodium daily but it did not stop. The doctor called in a script that worked after taking it for two days. The meds bought on constipation. After a few glasses of prune juice, I find myself back to normal. The past couple of weeks was a nightmare.

Just responding. Even when eating a diet specifically for diaherrea, the diaherrea was still very bad. I ended up having to go to the emergency room with blood in my stool. They gave me a stronger anti diaherreal drug too but that didnt work. The had to give me an IV plus potassium supplements I lost so much potassium due to diarrhea. Anyway, the Dr. took me off the Projeta for the next go round cause she said it causes bowel inflammation and things that can be worse. Unfortunate that i cant have that the next two rounds but I wont miss the runs!

I have triple positive and have had diarrhea for almost a year now from the chemo, radiation, and phesgo letrozole!! Husband bought a Bidet!! What a life saver!!!!!!!

Stay hydrated. And get an anti-diarrhea pill

Sometimes the anti diarrhea meds don’t work. Don’t work for me.

Yes Sarah. I use flushable wet wipes

Mine started out bad but after Imodium and Lomotil didn’t do the trick, they added the powdered Questran - an old binding cholesterol removing med before they used statins. As mentioned by another member its side effect is constipation. And you have to be careful timing it with any other meds so it doesn’t interfere with absorption. I start with 2 Imodium, then wait 4 hours and do a packet of Questran. If diarrhea continues another 4-6 hrs for another packet. Wait again recommended time and one more Imodium. Diarrhea will subside for 12-24 hrs. Lomotil didn’t seem to have any effect for me. When/if it returns repeat same way. Usually stops altogether about 3-5 days before next chemo- on 3 wk schedule.

I had diarrhea the whole time. Had it until 6 or weeks after I finished chemotherapy. Good luck🩷

Please be careful. I’m 70 and the diarrhea caused chemo induced c-diff, severe damage to my left kidney, and ongoing IBS.

I was overdosed my first round of chemo and now have a rare form of cecal diverticulitis. Switched oncologists, but I still constantly have to take immodium and stay on a bland diet when it gets bad. I'm triple positive doing taxol and a couple others with lupron shots.

Managing severe side effects like this can be incredibly draining, both physically and emotionally. It sounds like staying on top of hydration and working closely with the medical team is crucial right now - many others in this community have faced similar challenges and found relief with their healthcare provider's guidance, so please don't hesitate to keep advocating for solutions that work better for your situation.